Gujarat minister Kodnani surrenders

Gandhinagar, March 27 (IANS) Gujarat Minister for Higher Education Maya Kodnani Friday surrendered before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has named her as one of those who led mobs in the Naroda Gaam and Naroda Patiya localities in which 106 people were killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Kodnani, who quit from her post Friday morning after the Gujarat High Court rejected her anticipatory bail, was joined by former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) general secretary Jaideep Patel, who also surrendered before the SIT.

The two accused in the post-Godhra riots arrived together at the SIT office at the Old Secretariat in Gandhinagar together and surrendered to a senior official.

While Kodnani refused to comment, Patel told reporters: “I have faith in the judiciary regarding the decision taken by it. I respect the Gujarat High Court’s decision.”

In its plea to the Gujarat High Court, the Supreme court appointed SIT stated that Kodnani was evading arrest even after being named by witnesses who submitted that they saw the minister in the localities on that day.

Witnesses in the Kodnani case also told SIT that they were being harassed over the phone and told to drop charges against the minister.

The Godhra train burning led to widespread attacks on Muslims in the state, leading to 1,180 people, mostly Muslims, being killed.